Tweet
QUOTE=Mugwump;6232971]Oh, I agree entirely. Technically, Tyson had everything. As is the case with almost all big hitters his power was generated from the heels up. He had the full array of shots - hooks, crosses, uppercuts - even a half-decent jab when he bothered to use it. He was fit and he was fast. Way too fast for almost everyone in the division. And he had superb head movement. It's something that we seem to be seeing less of lately. Can't understand why.
And D'Amato couldn't have sold the package any better. But it only had a very limited lifespan. Living with Tyson and controlling the purse strings he could make sure he stuck to the gameplan. But it must have been increasingly difficult to keep the house of cards from collapsing as his profile and achievements grew.
Even with Cus around - it was never going to end happily. Sooner or later he'd face someone who a) wasn't affected by Tyson's "baddest man on the planet" aura b) had some degree of ability and c) would not be bullied in the ring.
And D'Amato couldn't have sold the package any better. But it only had a very limited lifespan. Living with Tyson and controlling the purse strings he could make sure he stuck to the gameplan. But it must have been increasingly difficult to keep the house of cards from collapsing as his profile and achievements grew.
Even with Cus around - it was never going to end happily. Sooner or later he'd face someone who a) wasn't affected by Tyson's "baddest man on the planet" aura b) had some degree of ability and c) would not be bullied in the ring.
What we did see was that he got better from 18 to 19, from 19 to 20, from 20 to 23. A big key that I liked in the progression of him as a fighter was learning to relax in a fight after he became Champion. He still had his frustration in fights but listened to instructions well from Rooney and did what was commanded of him.
The object was also to keep it fun for him. At least I'm going to say that based on what Tyson said in an interview of what was different without Cus and Jimmy around. Have the video if you like which explains it better. With his mindset, and his popularity, the amount of pressure that was placed on him....he was doomed. In a way, I wonder if leaving Rooney and Cayton was a way to sabotage his career because he said he wanted to retire after Spinks...but that may be giving him too much credit even for a kid of his "street talents"
And 'C' is the important condition. Because with Tyson everything revolved around bullying. Bullying his opponent. Bullying by Cus. Bullying women (sexually). Bullying by the kids he grew up with. He was terrified of being bullied. He still is. The psychological hang ups (which Cus and his team used cynically for their own ends) were immense. So much so that when I see him being pummelled by Holyfield (who NO ONE was going to bully) - standing there in the middle of the ring with an almost childish expression of dumb bewilderment across his face I genuinely feel sorry for the guy.
Look what Tyson said in the documentary that was very important: He said Cus taught him how to box...and because of that, nobody was going to F*** with him anymore. Something on those lines.
You see, with the knowledge of boxing, with the training, with the answers on how to box certain fighters and commands set by someone like Cus or Rooney...Tyson seemed OK. It was when he didn't have those people to lean on for the answers and had to rely on himself; he failed...and failed big.
I would even say that he probably wouldn't have been Champion, like Atlas kind of said...if he hadn't ended up in Catskill. Maybe if he had a trainer like, Ray Arcel...yeah...or even George Benton...maybe...but you have to have those rare breed of trainers that could work with him.
Tyson was no General...he was no Ali. He was a soldier. Could that soldier have gone rogue? Yeah...why not.
One thing Rooney said was that he didn't feel Cus had enough time with Mike. Basically, he was an unfinished and rushed project.
Cus's finished projects were Patterson and Torres.
Forget how Cus put it so if you heard it and know it exact, let me know to rewrite it...here it is: I am not a success when I make a Champion...but when I make a Champion and he can become independent of me.
One thing I've discussed before with someone else is how Tyson declined: With each fight away from Rooney, old habits continued to rise up. He started to hold more and wasn't as active in fights. After prison, we saw him foul more, hold more...get frustrated a lot more...and to cap it off, it was noted in the McBride fight that Tyson was biting his gloves...something he hadn't done since his amateur days. That is something I never knew and found that incredible.
To go back to the "Tyson is the Greatest" bit that too many people like to use.....I agree that it is borderline ignorant to say.
If we are talking about legacy, here are the facts: Tyson rose to the HW Title and unified it by 22. He looked great beating the competition he fought...especially for a now "small" HW in his era and of course how young he was...and maybe we can throw in the pressure that he was dealing with.
However, Tyson would make one bad choice that would lead to another and another and so on...to the point where he got rid of what/who helped get him there: His original Team, led by Rooney and managed by Cayton...which coincides with a specific training regimen set up for Tyson's success.
Tyson threw away his career and potential. And because of that, by the time he met Douglas, he got busted up and never fully recovered. Instead of getting back up after a loss and going back to what made him great...he didn't. He did get some of it back and it showed against Ruddock, however; it wasn't the same old Tyson. Then, Tyson went to jail, came out, and was finished because he couldn't find away to get his mental and physical self back on line. Like Tyson said himself: My career was over in 1990.
The Tyson that many like to talk about, the Tyson from Berbick to Spinks, who many want to compare against the rest and call "The Greatest of All Time"...never made it to the 90's where he could have been fully tested against high quality opposition. And because of that, we just don't know how "great" he actually was or could have been.
But what we do know is....what we saw was Mike Tyson. That is Mike Tyson making his own choices and/or being manipulated which caused him to fall.
Now would he have been better off with Cus and Jacobs still alive?
Maybe...probably...better off than leaving him alone.
However, he still had Rooney to train him and Cayton to manage him and keep him active...and he blew that.
Comment